A tear spills over her cheek, and her lips break into the widest, sweetest grin. She reaches for me then, winding her arms around my neck while I wrap mine around her waist. I press my mouth to hers as I lift her off the chair. Our kiss continues as I set her on her feet, neither of us willing to release the other.
“By the way,” she whispers when she finally breaks away for breath, “I love you too.”
I press my forehead to hers. “I figured.”
“I’m sorry I was late.”
“It’s all right, love. I’m not going anywhere.”
“I hate to interrupt.”
Edwina and I separate just enough to find Aubrey standing before us. My muscles tense as I notice every pair of eyes in the crowd is locked on us, some in confusion, others in amusement or awe.
“We are still in an active auction,” Aubrey whispers. “If you didn’t already know, I should inform you it is magically binding. And you, Miss Danforth, just bid your heart. A bid that could get gruesome if the auctioneer interprets it the wrong way. I highly suggest we return to your first bid of two hundred sapphire rounds.”
Edwina and I exchange a horrified look.
“Yes, I agree,” Edwina says.
“Two hundred rounds,” Aubrey shouts to the auctioneer. “Let us return to that.”
The auctioneer nods. “Do I hear two hundred and one?”
I wince, expecting the aggressive bidder near the stage to pipe up again, but only silence echoes back. Well, silence and music and the curious whispers of those around us. No one tries to top Edwina’s bet.
“Sold,” the auctioneer says, “to…the woman in white.”
Edwina purses her lips to hide her amused grin. “Did I just purchase you?”
“A date. You purchased a date.” I smirk. “You already have the rest of me anyway.”
“You’re right,” she says, pulling my lips to hers again. Her breathless tone sends a shiver up my spine. “I already told you you’re mine.”
It takesall my restraint not to drag her out of the ballroom and prop her against a wall in the first empty corner of the hotel I can find. Or better yet, inside the elevator. Or back in our suite on the billiards table. Or any number of the places I want to devour her.
But after Edwina’s tardiness and the stir we caused during my auction, it’s best we stay. This may not be a signing, but it is one of our official tour stops. We have fans who’ve come to see us.
Edwina confesses about where she was this afternoon, which explains where Cassie has been too. My stomach bottoms outwhen she recounts my sister’s fainting spell, but I manage not to lose my head. It certainly helps that Edwina stayed with Cassie until she was sure my sister was well.
We part ways to chat with our respective readers, and once the gala comes to an end, Edwina and I meet in the lobby to return to our suite together. We take the stairs, which are less crowded than the elevators, stopping to kiss in the stairwell when we’re alone. I manage to slip a hand under her bodice, exploring her beautiful breasts while my cock strains against my trousers. The sound of footsteps on the flight below has me biting back a frustrated groan, and we proceed the rest of the way to our floor.
Once inside our suite, Monty and another woman are already there. The latter is perched on the kitchen island, swinging her stockinged legs over the edge of the counter while she sips ruby liquid from a tumbler. Monty’s elbows are propped on the other side, his cigarillo perched between his lips and filling the common room with a faintly sweet aroma. I’ve never seen Monty with a friend or lover, and the shock at seeing a stranger in our midst cools my ardor.
Then the woman speaks in a familiar voice. “Ah, they’re back.”
My mouth falls open. “Daphne?”
She shrinks down, as if only now realizing why the sight of her might be surprising. “Yeah,” she says, tugging on the short hem of her skirt.
“Did you dance?” Edwina asks as we approach them. She’s not at all surprised by Daphne’s appearance, though it makes sense considering she’s already seen Daphne’s seelie form.
Daphne takes a sip from her cup. “A little.”
“She filled half her dance card,” Monty says, and there’s a strange look on his face when he stares at Daphne. Somethingsoft and open I’ve never seen before. Then he dons a crooked smile. “This little weasel is a terrible dancer.”
Daphne scoffs. “You’re worse than I am.”
Edwina casts a surprised look at Monty. “You danced too?”
